Learning Disabilities Specialist Jennifer Zvi, Ph.D spent much of her career encouraging students to take charge of their own education and pointing them toward RFB&D. Having seen proof that accessible technology was a key player in her nephew's success, she remains passionate about Learning Ally's mission as a member of our board of directors in Chicago.

"Students need assessment and the accommodation," says Jennifer. "For those who have a hard time decoding the printed word, the service Learning Ally provides changes the whole status of how written information is acquired. It makes learning so much easier because they can put their emphasis and effort into understanding and comprehending by listening, not sitting there and trying to decode."

Jennifer has a PhD. in the field of Learning Disabilities and a post-doctorate in Neuropsychology. She worked in the Office of Disabled Student Services at California State University, Northridge where her main focus was to diagnose students who suspected they had a learning disability.

"If the world of disabilities isn't touching you, it is probably touching someone you know."

"We would find the appropriate accommodation so they could be successful in their post-secondary education," says Jennifer. "I often recommended individual memberships with RFB&D so students could use the services even beyond their education and it would become a part of their lifelong success story." While president of the Los Angeles branch of the International Dyslexia Association, Jennifer was asked to join the RFB&D board of directors in the early 1990s. She served in Los Angeles and has since moved to Chicago where she is the Learning Ally board secretary. Currently, she is an adjunct professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.

"I'm very excited to be on the board in Chicago and it has been interesting to see the differences in their client base and how each state's department of education supports the organization differently. Personally, I believe it is an excellent organization to support financially because I believe so strongly in its goals and mission."

"Now, with the name change and increased client base, this is an exciting time to be involved."

Jennifer is a DreamBuilder, which means she made a commitment to financially support Learning Ally for at least five years. She also introduced friends to the organization who are now donors and is proud of her family's support because of her nephew. "I have a nephew who was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was five and used audiobooks in high school and through law school. He is now a successful corporate lawyer in Chicago. If the world of disabilities isn't touching you, it is probably touching someone you know. “I used to say that RFB&D was one of the best-kept secrets in the field of education. It had a limited client base, and unless you used the services you didn't know about it. Now with the name change and the increase in the client base, this is an exciting time to be involved. More people will be able to understand and utilize the organization's services and there is a great opportunity for it to become better understood and known in the community."

    - Jenny Falke